™

Cambridge IGCSE

FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH 0500/12

*1822353571*

Paper 1 Reading February/March 2023

2 hours

You must answer on the question paper.

You will need: Insert (enclosed)

INSTRUCTIONS
• Answer all questions.
• Use a black or dark blue pen.
• Write your name, centre number and candidate number in the boxes at the top of the page.
• Write your answer to each question in the space provided.
• Do not use an erasable pen or correction fluid.
• Do not write on any bar codes.
• If additional space is needed, you should use the lined pages at the end of this booklet; the question
number or numbers must be clearly shown.
• Dictionaries are not allowed.

INFORMATION
• The total mark for this paper is 80.
• The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in brackets [ ].
• The insert contains the reading texts.

This document has 16 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.

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Read Text A, Hippos, in the insert and then answer Questions 1(a)–(e) on this question paper.

Question 1
(a) What was the Ancient Greek name for hippos?

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(b) Using your own words, explain what the text means by:

(i) ‘scarlet fluid’ (line 4): ..............................................................................................

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(ii) ‘rotund creatures’ (line 5): ......................................................................................

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(c) Re-read paragraph 2, (‘The stubby-legged  meat.’).

Identify two hippo behaviours which have surprised scientists.

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(d) Re-read paragraphs 3 to 5 (‘One detail  vulnerable.’).

(i) Give two reasons why people think that male hippos are aggressive.

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(ii) Explain why, according to some experts, hippos may have changed their behaviour.

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(e) Re-read paragraphs 6 to 8 (‘Others believe  story.’’’).

Using your own words, explain why some scientists do not believe that the behaviour of
hippos has changed.

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Read Text B, Why you need to question your ‘hippo’ boss, in the insert and then answer Question
1(f) on this question paper.

Question 1

(f) According to Text B, what problems can be caused by this kind of ‘hippo’ and how should
these problems be tackled?

You must use continuous writing (not note form) and use your own words as far as possible.

Your summary should not be more than 120 words.

Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 5 marks for the
quality of your writing.

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Read Text C, Into the Delta, in the insert and then answer Questions 2(a)–(d) on this question paper.

Question 2
(a) Identify a word or phrase from the text which suggests the same idea as the words
underlined.

(i) Susan attended a short meeting to receive information before getting into the boat.

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(ii) A wooden mokoro is skilfully made by carving out a mature tree.

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(iii) To pass their licensing examinations, polers would need to show that they were able
to meet the needs of a wider variety of visitors.

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(iv) One poler passionately and forcefully argued against the suggestion in the book.

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(b) Using your own words, explain what the writer means by each of the words underlined:

Our poler explained that all fifty members of the OPT were local men. Many owned their own
boat and had learnt their poling skills as children, catching fish and travelling between villages
by water. To preserve the delicate ecological balance of the delta, fishing was now tightly
controlled, but as poling was more lucrative, few were complaining. When more polers could
afford to convert to fibreglass canoes, fewer mature trees would need to be cut down.

(i) preserve ................................................................................................................ [1]

(ii) lucrative ................................................................................................................. [1]

(iii) convert ................................................................................................................... [1]

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(c) Use one example from the text below to explain how the writer suggests Susan’s attitude
towards hippos:

Use your own words in your explanation

Travel was through channels made by hippos. These channels were often clogged with
vegetation, so polers had to push hard to get through. Sometimes a male hippo decided that
he didn’t want commuters using ‘his’ channel, rising unexpectedly out of the water, huge mouth
gaping and honking warnings at the traffic. Hippos always had right-of-way and polers had to
be alert. Sometimes they’d spend days opening up new channels to avoid aggressive hippos.
There were some terrifying near-misses!

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(d) Re-read paragraphs 4 and 5.

• Paragraph 4 begins ‘I will never forget ’ and describes Susan’s memories of the morning’s
journey.
• Paragraph 5 begins ‘Late afternoon ’ and is about the hippo safari.

Explain how the writer uses language to convey meaning and to create effect in these
paragraphs. Choose three examples of words or phrases from each paragraph to support
your answer. Your choices should include the use of imagery.

Write about 200 to 300 words.

Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer.

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Re-read Text C, Into the Delta, in the insert and then answer Question 3 on this question paper.

Question 3

You are Baruti. Weeks after Susan’s arrival, you are giving a speech to a group of local business people
to persuade them to support the work of the OPT.

In your speech you should:

• explain what exactly the OPT is and what it has achieved so far
• describe what tourists particularly enjoy about trips with the OPT
• suggest how the support of local business people might help the OPT and benefit local people,
animals and the wider region.

Write the words of your speech.

Base your speech on what you have read in Text C, but be careful to use your own words. Address
each of the three bullet points.

Write about 250 to 350 words.

Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 10 marks for the quality
of your writing.

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Additional Page

If you use the following lined page to complete the answer(s) to any question(s), the question number(s)
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Additional Page

If you use the following lined page to complete the answer(s) to any question(s), the question number(s)
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Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every
reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.

To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge
Assessment International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced for each series of examinations and is freely available to download
at www.cambridgeinternational.org after the live examination series.

Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of Cambridge Assessment. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is a department of the University of Cambridge.

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